What does yid mean?
Yid is an English noun for a Jewish person, but unlike the neutral term Jew, it is overwhelmingly used as a derogatory ethnic slur. In British and American English, speakers generally avoid it except when discussing or quoting historical prejudice, censorship, or the language of antisemitism. The word entered English from Yiddish, where yid is an ordinary word for a Jew; the offensive force of the English form therefore belongs chiefly to its use in English rather than to the source term itself. Its monosyllabic form gives it a blunt, familiar quality, but context does not neutralize its derogatory character. The pronunciation is generally /jɪd/, and the standard plural is yids. Because of its insulting history, dictionaries label yid offensive and recommend Jew or Jewish person outside quotations or an explicit discussion of the slur.
nounA highly offensive term for a Jewish person, used especially as an ethnic slur.
- An offensive term for a Jewish person, especially one used as an ethnic slur.
"The novel uses the offensive term yid to expose the narrator's antisemitism."
"The old novel uses yid as an epithet, revealing the speaker's prejudice."
"The programme discussed the historical use of yid before showing excerpts in which it appeared."
The regular plural is yids, although the term is strongly derogatory and normally avoided outside quoted or explicitly discussed usage.
"The article examines several historical uses of the plural form yids."
An ordinary word in Yiddish became a notorious slur when borrowed into English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of yid
English borrowed yid from Yiddish, in which it is the ordinary word for a Jew. Yiddish yid derives from Hebrew yehudi, a form connected with Yehudah, the Hebrew name Judah. The same root underlies related English words such as Jewish, Judaean, and Judaic.
How yid is actually used
Strongly derogatory in modern English. It is normally encountered only in quotations, historical discussion, or accounts of antisemitism; the neutral term Jew is preferred elsewhere. In Yiddish, yid is an ordinary word for a Jew rather than an inherently insulting expression.